Departmental Responsibilities

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much time was spent on Ministerial duties between 4 May 2009 and 5 June 2009 by each Minister in her Department who is also a Member of the House of Commons.

Tessa Jowell: During this period, Cabinet Office Ministers continued to spend as much time on their ministerial duties as necessary for them to be fulfilled.

Disabled: Discrimination

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 1027-28W, on the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, if she will publish reviews of contractors' compliance with disability discrimination legislation.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department has no plans to publish reviews of contractors' compliance with disability discrimination legislation.
	All DWP welfare to work contracts include detailed terms and conditions relevant to the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. DWP contract management processes are designed to ensure that contractors comply with all statutory and legislative requirements. In addition, external inspection and validation will ensure the quality and accuracy of their activities.

Dairy Farmers of Britain

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make  (a) an estimate of the cost and  (b) an assessment of compatibility with EU state-aid rules of provision of compensation to members of the Dairy Farmers of Britain co-operative for the loss of payments for milk supplied to the co-operative in May 2009.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In response:
	 (a) The Receivers (PwC) have estimated that the total financial costs to farmers who were members and former members of Dairy Farmers of Britain on 3 June are around £83 million.
	 (b) The proportion of this figure which arises from the failure to pay the May milk cheques is a matter for the Receiver.
	Government have considered whether we can compensate farmers, but does not plan to do so.

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2009,  Official Report, column 816W, on departmental ICT, what the  (a) expected completion date and  (b) estimated cost is of each current major information technology project in his Department.

Dan Norris: I refer the hon. Member to the earlier reply given to Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 22 June 2009,  Official Report, House of Lords, columns WA257-58.

Fluoride: Drinking Water

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2009,  Official Report, column 380W, on fluoride: drinking water, what assessment the Drinking Water Inspectorate made of the adequacy of the remedial action taken by Three Valleys Water following the addition of excessive levels of fluoride to the water supply in 2000.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Drinking Water Inspectorate has provided the following information about the assessment of the single sample result on 6 July 2000.
	The natural level of fluoride in the source water is between 0.07 and 0.25 mg/l (the European maximum level permitted is 1.5 mg/l). There is no additional fluoride put into the water at the treatment works. The single adverse result recorded on 6 July probably arose as a consequence of an error in the sampling/analytical process. However this could not be proven conclusively. All samples in the nine years since 6 July 2000 have given satisfactory results.

Sheep: Tagging

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department plans to take at EU level following the rejection of the Government's proposed amendment to Regulation 21/2004 on electronic identification of sheep at the EU Agriculture Council meeting of 22 June 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We are continuing to work closely with the Commission and have received positive feedback from them on a further proposal to reduce the EID implementation burden on industry, which would provide for individual recording to be carried out at critical control points i.e. markets and abattoirs on behalf of the keeper. If secured, this could reduce industry implementation costs by a further 35 to 40 per cent.

Afghanistan: Detainees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2009,  Official Report, column 630W, on Afghanistan: detainees, when the Governor of Bermuda was first informed that the four Muslim Uighur refugees had been detainees in Guantánamo Bay

David Miliband: The Governor was first informed by the Government of Bermuda that the four Muslim Uighurs transferred to Bermuda were former detainees in Guantanamo Bay at 0820 (local time) 11 June 2009, following their arrival in Bermuda two hours earlier.

Bermuda: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 629-30W, on Afghanistan: detainees, what the role of the  (a) government and  (b) Governor of Bermuda is in respect of Bermudese foreign affairs; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The Governor has responsibility for the conduct of any business of the Bermuda Government with respect to the external affairs of Bermuda in accordance with section 62 of the Bermuda Constitution. The Government of Bermuda have been delegated, subject to certain conditions, authority under a 1968 General Entrustment to negotiate and conclude agreements in certain specified areas with other countries. Other entrustments have also been issued at various times authorising specific negotiations.

Diplomatic Missions

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 18 June 2009,  Official Report, column 25WS, on diplomatic missions, what discretion local authorities have to withdraw public services from diplomatic missions which do not pay the national non-domestic rates billed to them.

Chris Bryant: National non diplomatic rates (NNDR) for diplomatic premises is paid in full to local authorities by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). The VOA then bills individual missions for the portion which covers services from which missions directly benefit. This is currently calculated as 6 per cent. of the total bill.
	As diplomatic missions do not pay NNDR direct to local authorities, it would not be appropriate for local authorities to withdraw services from those diplomatic missions which have NNDR debts.

Diplomatic Missions

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 18 June 2009,  Official Report, column 25WS, on diplomatic missions, on what date the Zimbabwe mission last paid a bill for national non-domestic rates; and how many months of non-domestic rates arrears the sum given in the statement represents.

Chris Bryant: The Valuation Office Agency's records indicate that the Zimbabwean mission's debt has been accumulating since 2000-01. Since that time they have only paid one year's beneficial portion of national non-domestic rates, for the year 2006-07. The sum given in the written ministerial statement represents eight years' accumulated debt.

Israel: Internally Displaced Persons

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the eviction of families from the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem; what representations he has made to the Israeli Gvernment on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We are extremely concerned by the continued eviction notices served on Palestinian families in East Jerusalem and have pressed the Israeli Government to suspend these eviction notices immediately. We have supported an EU presidency statement expressing the EU's deep concern about the issue of eviction notices to the al-Rawi and Hanoun families in East Jerusalem and calling for the al-Kurd family to be allowed to return to their home.
	Additionally, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made the UK's concerns clear in his statement to the UN Security Council on 11 May 2009 and it was also discussed during the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting on 15 June 2009. The UK will continue to raise this with Israeli officials both in public and in private.

Afghanistan: Detainees

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 26 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 394-97W, on Records of detention (review conclusions), what the names of each of the two individuals transferred from Iraq to Afghanistan in 2004 are; at what US detention facilities they  (a) have been and  (b) are being held; what steps the Government has taken to verify US assurances on the treatment of the two individuals; whether the UK has the power to demand (i) access to and (ii) the return of the two individuals; on what date officials were first made aware of (A) the intention to transfer the two individuals and (B) the transfer itself; what international law applies to people held on behalf of other coalition forces; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 30 June 2009
	It is not the practice of this Department to release personal information, such as the names of these two individuals. The individuals were initially held at a US detention facility in Baghdad before they were transferred to US detention facilities at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. As my predecessor made clear in his statement, when this information came to light officials immediately engaged with their US counterparts and were assured that the individuals are held in a humane, safe and secure environment that meets international standards that are consistent with applicable cultural and religious norms. I am satisfied that these assurances are reliable; although there is no formal legal power for the UK to demand access to the individuals, close relationships with the US satisfy me that this is not required. After 31 December 2008 the UK has no power of detention in Iraq so demanding the return of these two individuals would not be practical nor possible.
	The review examined the available historical records, which suggest that British officials became aware of an intention to transfer in March 2004, although this was some days after the initial capture had occurred. British officials had learned by mid-June 2004 that the individuals had been transferred to Afghanistan.
	What particular international law provisions apply will depend on the operational theatre and the circumstances; I am not in a position to make general statements on what legal provisions may apply as each operational theatre is different.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the proportion of improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan triggered by  (a) weight,  (b) command wire and  (c) remote detonation by electronic signal in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008.

Bob Ainsworth: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many locally-employed translators are working for the armed forces in each region of Afghanistan.

Kevan Jones: The armed forces employ nine locally employed translators in Afghanistan. Of these six are in Kabul and three in Helmand Province.
	The armed forces also employ 397 locally employed interpreters. Of these six are based in Kandahar, 32 in Kabul and 359 in Helmand Province.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have met Scottish Executive health ministers to discuss the care of soldiers and veterans in each year since 1999;
	(2)  on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have met Scottish Executive health ministers to discuss the sharing of best practice between the Defence Medical Services and NHS Scotland in the last two years; and what other mechanisms are in place to ensure that best practice between those services is shared.

Bob Ainsworth: Details of topics discussed during meetings between Ministers are not held centrally. Both my predecessor and the Under-Secretary of State have met with Shona Robison, on 14 May 2009 and 23 April 2009 respectively to discuss a variety of issues.
	The Scottish Executive is represented at official level on the MOD/UK Health Departments Partnership Board, which meets three times a year and whose remit includes exploring ways of sharing best practice between the Defence Medical Services (DMS) and the NHS in England and the devolved regions, including Scotland. At a working level, some individual members of the DMS also work in Scottish NHS medical facilities, particularly in Edinburgh, enabling clinical best practice to be shared on a day-to-day basis.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of each grading committee report on armed forces accommodation.

Kevan Jones: The MOD do not produce a grading committee report on armed forces accommodation. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the Armed Forces Pay Review Board, who determine pay, allowances and accommodation charges, publish an annual report which is routinely placed in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of army recruits passed through phase  (a) 1 and  (b) 2 training without taking the military swim test in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: There is no requirement for entrants to the British Army to be able to swim but swimming training is compulsory for all regular army personnel. All British Army recruits are required to take the military swimming test during Phase 1 or Phase 2 training.
	During financial year 2008-09, approximately 2,500 personnel, or 20 per cent. of those completing Phase 2 training and entering the Field Army, did not pass the military swimming test.
	Weak and non-swimmers have their personnel records annotated accordingly to identify when further swimming training is appropriate, and to ensure proper risk assessments can made during further training.

Metropolitan Police: Human Trafficking Unit

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer by the Prime Minister of 20 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1504, what progress his Department has made towards increasing the budget for the Metropolitan Police's human trafficking unit.

Alan Campbell: Additional funding of £435,000 already has been given to the Metropolitan Police to support the costs of their human trafficking team for the current financial year.

Prostitution

Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons his Department has proposed the creation of a new offence of paying for the sexual services of a prostitute controlled for gain.

Alan Campbell: The new offence will shift the focus of enforcement activity away from those who are working as prostitutes and onto those who have sex with prostitutes who are forced or coerced.

Violence against Women and Girls

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress his Department has made in its consultation on "Together We Can End The Violence Against Women And Girls"; and when he expects the resultant strategy to be published.

Alan Campbell: The consultation closed at the end of May and we have received more than 8,000 responses.
	My Department are analysing the responses to inform development of a strategy which will be launched by the end of the year.

Operation Pathway

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to review progress on Operation Pathway since the resignation of Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick.

David Hanson: It is a long held practice of successive Governments not to comment on ongoing police investigations.

Departmental Public Consultation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many public consultations have been conducted by his Department since 27 June 2007; what the title of each was; how many responses were received to each; and what estimate has been made of the total cost incurred for each consultation.

Phil Woolas: In line with the Government's code of practice on consultation, the Home Office publishes all its consultation documents on the websites referred to as follows. The number of responses received for individual consultations is recorded in the Government response documents. These are published on the relevant website alongside the consultations themselves. The costs incurred for each consultation are met from within existing departmental resources. It would not be possible to separate out the costs which could be attributed to a consultation from the normal day-to-day departmental business.
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/haveyoursay/
	http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/consultations/

Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people awaiting deportation were held in open prisons on 1 June 2009.

Phil Woolas: Figures published by the Ministry of Justice confirm that at March 2009 there were 204 foreign nationals held in open prisons. Information relating to the number of those who are awaiting deportation is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Deportation: Offenders

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of foreign nationals found guilty of a criminal offence and subject to deportation orders were deported in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the UK Border Agency has regularly written to Home Affairs Select Committee in order to provide them with all the robust and accurate information available relating to foreign national criminals. Copies of these letters are available in the Library of the House.

G20: Greater London

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2009,  Official Report, column 191W, on the G20: Greater London, at which central London hotel accommodation was provided.

Alan Johnson: Accommodation was provided at the Strand Palace Hotel.

Illegal Immigrants

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much funding his Department has allocated to the apprehension of illegal immigrants in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much funding his Department has allocated to the prevention of illegal immigration in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how much funding his Department has allocated to assist the co-operation between the UK Border Agency and its predecessors and police forces in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: It is not possible to break down how much funding the Department has allocated across the broad headings requested, in each year since 1997, without risking inconsistency or potential double counting, except at disproportionate cost.
	The available public spending figures for the UK Border Agency and its predecessors for each year from 1997 onwards have been set out in the following table for convenience. The sources of this information are the Home Office Annual Report(s) cited as follows. These are available in the Library of the House.
	
		
			   £000 
			 1997-98 215,000 
			 1998-99 362,618 
			 1999-2000 818,086 
			 2000-01 1,336,399 
			 2001-02 1,621,571 
			 2002-03 1,857,252 
			 2003-04 1,891,279 
			 2004-05 1,614,232 
			 2005-06 1,528,230 
			 2006-07 1,463,464 
			 2007-08 1,439,229 
			 2008-09 (estimated outturn) 1,418,090 
			 Note:  The 1997-98 figure is rounded to the nearest £1,000.

Immigration: Gurkhas

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in the UK Border Agency were working on cases involving Gurkhas on  (a) 1 January 2009 and  (b) 1 May 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Applications for settlement from former Gurkhas are considered by caseworkers in the UK and overseas (primarily in New Delhi).
	On 1 January 2009 no caseworkers were actively engaged in considering applications from Gurkhas discharged before 1 July 1997. Consideration of applications was suspended while the guidance was reviewed.
	While the applications from Gurkhas who retired before 1 July 1997 were on hold caseworkers in the UK and overseas continued to deal with applications from those discharged after 1 July 1997. No specific casework resource was dedicated to the consideration of these cases. They were dealt with in the normal stream of settlement applications.
	New guidance was published on 24 April 2009 and decision making resumed after its publication. Teams were constituted and ready before 1 May 2009. In New Delhi three Entry Clearance Officers and one Entry Clearance Manager were ready to begin work. In the UK 27 caseworkers were dedicated to review the pending cases.

Independent Safeguarding Authority: Databases

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure the accuracy of information held on the Independent Safeguarding Authority database.

David Hanson: Much of the information held by the Independent Safeguarding Authority is obtained from the security accredited Police National computer (PNC). Information added to the PNC undergoes a series of checks to ensure accuracy The ISA will therefore accept such information as accurate and will not carry out further checks. However a range of technical and non-technical controls are employed to ensure the security and non-contamination of these records. Information obtained from other sources (such as employers) is subjected to strict accuracy and integrity checks.

Travel Restrictions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2009,  Official Report, column 321W, on travel restrictions, what definition of unacceptable behaviour his Department uses as a criteria for exclusion from the UK.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 25 June 2009
	The then Home Secretary, the right hon. Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Clarke), announced to Parliament on 20 July 2005 that he would broaden his existing powers to exclude or deport those who present an indirect threat to national security, public order or the rule of law in the UK or to the UK's good relations with a third country. Consultation on implementing this decision was also announced. Following the consultation the criteria for unacceptable behaviour was published in a Press Release on 24 August 2005 entitled "Tackling Terrorism-Behaviours Unacceptable in the UK".

Travel Restrictions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2009,  Official Report, column 321W, on travel restrictions, how many people there are on the list of foreign nationals excluded from the UK on unacceptable behaviour grounds.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 25 June 2009
	The list published by the Home Secretary on 5 May 2009 includes 22 people who were excluded from the UK on the grounds of unacceptable behaviour between October 2008 and March 2009. Since August 2005, when the policy was announced, 105 individuals have been excluded from the UK on grounds of unacceptable behaviour.

UK Border Agency: Correspondence

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK Border Agency plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham of 25 March and 19 May 2009 sent on behalf of his constituent, Mr Ali Mohamad.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency wrote to the hon. Member on 25 June 2009.

Warrants

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrest warrants were outstanding in respect of  (a) unpaid fines,  (b) breaches of community orders and  (c) revocation of parole licences in each probation area in England and Wales on the latest date for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The Ministry of Justice does not hold information centrally on the number of arrest warrants outstanding with regard to category  (a) in your question. In relation to category  (b), I can provide the data in the first table which are the outstanding warrants for breaches of community orders, by area, as at 31 March 2009. These data come from an internal management system that was developed and introduced in October 2005. The data have yet to be fully quality assured and are based on the information currently available.
	In relation to category  (c), the number of offenders who have been recalled up to and including 30 June 2008 but not returned to custody by 26 June 2009 is outlined in the second table. This data has been compiled by reconciling data from the Police National Computer (PNC), Prison Service Inmate Information System (IIS) and the Public Protection Unit Database (PPUD). The reconciled data has been circulated to all police forces and probation areas to cross check against local records. In addition to the audited data we can also say that as at 26 June 2009, of those offenders recalled between 1 July 2008 and 31 March 2009, 342 offenders had not yet been returned to custody. These figures are provisional, un-audited and have not been approved by Local Criminal Justice Boards.
	
		
			  Community penalty breach warrants as at 31 March 2009 
			  Area  Outstanding warrants for breaches of community orders 
			 Avon and Somerset 105 
			 Bedfordshire 58 
			 Cambridgeshire 207 
			 Cheshire 97 
			 Cleveland 60 
			 Cumbria 18 
			 Derbyshire 102 
			 Devon and Cornwall 67 
			 Dorset 21 
			 Durham 42 
			 Dyfed-Powys 17 
			 Essex 193 
			 Gloucestershire 80 
			 Greater London 2,483 
			 Greater Manchester 683 
			 Gwent 77 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 213 
			 Hertfordshire 39 
			 Humberside 61 
			 Kent 141 
			 Lancashire 85 
			 Leicestershire 71 
			 Lincolnshire 64 
			 Merseyside 178 
			 Norfolk 63 
			 North Wales 98 
			 North Yorkshire 35 
			 Northamptonshire 71 
			 Northumbria 129 
			 Nottinghamshire 152 
			 South Wales 301 
			 South Yorkshire 127 
			 Staffordshire 72 
			 Suffolk 44 
			 Surrey 35 
			 Sussex 144 
			 Thames Valley 224 
			 Warwickshire 62 
			 West Mercia 72 
			 West Midlands 481 
			 West Yorkshire 200 
			 Wiltshire 40 
		
	
	
		
			  LCJB area  Number of offenders whose licences were revoked on or before 30 June 2008 and were not returned to custody by 26 June 2009 
			 Avon and Somerset 10 
			 Bedfordshire 10 
			 Cambridgeshire 9 
			 Cheshire 5 
			 Cleveland/Teesside 2 
			 Cumbria 0 
			 Derbyshire 5 
			 Devon and Cornwall 5 
			 Dorset 6 
			 Durham 2 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 
			 Essex 15 
			 Gloucester 2 
			 Greater Manchester 27 
			 Gwent 4 
			 Hampshire 8 
			 Hertfordshire 10 
			 Humberside 3 
			 Kent 15 
			 Lancashire 8 
			 Leicestershire 10 
			 Lincolnshire 3 
			 London 218 
			 Merseyside 17 
			 Norfolk 5 
			 North Wales 3 
			 North Yorkshire 2 
			 Northamptonshire 3 
			 Northumbria 5 
			 Nottinghamshire 8 
			 South Wales 14 
			 South Yorkshire 13 
			 Staffordshire 4 
			 Suffolk 6 
			 Surrey 6 
			 Sussex 18 
			 Thames Valley 21 
			 Warwickshire 8 
			 West Mercia 5 
			 West Midlands 57 
			 West Yorkshire 13 
			 Wiltshire 0 
			 Not specified(1) 27 
			 Total 612 
			 (1) These are not specified due to old records not containing address information. These offenders have been allocated to the area of last known address on the Police National Computer for operational purposes.

Augmented Care Period Dataset

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what categories of data his Department collects to maintain the Augmented Care Period dataset.

Mike O'Brien: The Augmented Care Dataset is no longer collected. It was replaced on 1 April 2006 by the Critical Care Minimum Dataset. The categories of data collected through the Critical Care Minimum Dataset are as follows:
	Critical Care Local Identifier;
	Critical Care Start Date;
	Critical Care Unit Function;
	Advanced Respiratory Support Days;
	Basic respiratory Support Days;
	Advanced Cardiovascular Support Days;
	Basic Cardiovascular Support Days;
	Renal Support Days;
	Neurological Support Days;
	Dermatological Support Days;
	Liver Support Days;
	Critical Care Level 3 Days;
	Critical Care Level 2 Days; and
	Critical Care Discharge Date.
	Validated information for these categories is not available and the NHS Information Centre is conducting an audit process to ensure that reliable information is available for future years.

Blood Transfusions: Ireland

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2009,  Official Report, column 656, what the evidential basis was for the Minister of State's statement that the Irish blood transfusion service was at fault.

Gillian Merron: There were two judicial inquiries in Ireland relating to contaminated blood and blood products which found that "wrongful acts were committed" by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service.
	Between 1977 and 1994, a large number of women in the Irish Republic were infected with Hepatitis C from contaminated Anti-D immunoglobulin produced by the Irish national Blood Transfusion Service. An expert group set up by the Irish Government found the Blood Service to have been at fault, and the same conclusion was reached by a later judicial inquiry chaired by the Honourable Mr. Justice T. A. Finlay. The "Report of the Finlay Tribunal of Inquiry into the Blood Transfusion Service Board" was published on 6 March 1997.
	On 2 June 1999, both Houses of the Oireachtas passed a Resolution that a further Tribunal of Inquiry should be established to examine and report on certain matters of urgent public importance relating to the infection with Hepatitis C and Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) of persons with haemophilia. The "Report of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the Infection with HIV and Hepatitis C of Persons with Haemophilia and Related Matters" was published on 5 September 2002 by Her Honour Judge Alison Lindsay.

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many  (a) special advisers and  (b) officials of his Department accompanied him to Glasgow for the Cabinet meeting on 16 April 2009;
	(2)  what car journeys he took in attending the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009;
	(3)  how much expenditure was incurred by his Department in respect of the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009;
	(4)  what expenditure on  (a) travel,  (b) accommodation and  (c) food (i) he and (ii) officials in his Department incurred in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009;
	(5)  when he will answer question  (a) 273965,  (b) 273966,  (c) 273967 and  (d) 273968, tabled on 5 May 2009, on the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow.

Phil Hope: My right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull, West and Hessle (Alan Johnson) attended Cabinet on 16 April 2009 as the Secretary of State for Health. He was accompanied by a Private Secretary. He was not accompanied by any special advisers.
	Total expenditure incurred by the Department was £1,064.25 for travel and £241.27 for overnight accommodation and food.
	For information relating to the Cabinet and public engagement event held in Glasgow on 16 April I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 487W.

Cancer: Health Services

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methodology was used to derive the figures contained in the table in Box 8 of his Department's first annual report on the Cancer Reform Strategy, Maintaining Momentum, published on 1 December 2008; and what the equivalent figures are for the latest year for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The data shown in the table in Box 8 of the first annual report on the Cancer Reform Strategy were compiled using Hospital Episode Statistics showing the number of finished consultant episodes for cancer-related prostatectomy and cystectomy by trust for 1997-98 and 2006-07.
	A table showing the count of finished consultant episodes for cancer-related prostatectomy, cystectomy and cystoprosatectomy by trust in 2007-08, the latest year for which this information is available, has been placed in the Library.

Carers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer from Baroness Thornton of 13 March 2009,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column 364, on care services: older adults and disabled people, for what reasons publication of the Social Care Green Paper has been delayed; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: It is widely accepted that the current care and support system will not be able to cope with the growing demands and expectations of those needing care in the future. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us all to help create a care and support system capable of supporting people well into the 21st century so it is important we get this right. The Green Paper will be published shortly.

Departmental Pay

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2009,  Official Report, column 852W, on departmental pay, how many staff in his Department received a salary of more than £100,000 in each year since 1997.

Phil Hope: The following table presents the data, which is derived from Departmental Reports for the years as requested.
	
		
			  In post date  Number of staff earning a salary over £100,000 on that date 
			 1 April 2008 71 
			 1 April 2007 72 
			 1 April 2006 64 
			 1 April 2005 71 
			 1 April 2004 56 
			 1 April 2003 52 
			 1 April 2002 39 
			 1 April 2001 30 
			 1 April 2000 23 
			 1 April 1999 16 
			 1 April 1998 12 
			 1 April 1997 8 
		
	
	These figures include secondees from the Department out to other organisations but not secondees from external organisations into the Department. Salaries included base pay and pay-related allowances but not bonuses. The figure for 1 April 2007 has been corrected from that given in the 2008 Departmental Report as that figure did not include allowances.

Departmental Pay

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2009,  Official Report, column 852W, on departmental pay, what position each of the 71 senior civil servants holds; and what their average salary is.

Phil Hope: The average (mean) salary of the 71 civil servants mentioned in the answer of 23 June 2009,  Official Report, column 852W, about departmental pay was £135,740.
	The positions held by those 71 civil servants are listed as follows:
	3 Permanent Secretaries
	10 Directors General
	35 Directors
	5 Deputy Directors
	18 Doctors employed by the Department on NHS pay terms.

Health Education: Local Government

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role he envisages for local government in the proposed health innovation education clusters.

Ann Keen: There is no single prescribed model for a Health Innovation and Education Cluster (HIEC) and each one will depend on local circumstances, but a local authority could be a formal partner in a HIEC through their responsibility for social care. That could create opportunities for innovation in care pathways, for example for long-term conditions, mental health and children's services. It could also lead to developments in the joint training of health and social care professionals.
	Where a local authority is not a formal partner there will be a link to the HIEC through the local authority's role as a provider of services.

Methadone: Biometrics

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which prisons a biometric-based, computer-controlled methadone dispensing system has been installed; and what expenditure his Department incurred in respect of each such installation.

Phil Hope: To date the biometric-based computer methadone dispensing system has been installed in the following 57 prisons:
	HMP Altcourse
	HMP Belmarsh
	HMP Birmingham
	HMP Brixton
	HMP Buckley Hall
	HMP Bullingdon Community
	HMP Channingswood
	HMP Chelmsford
	HMP Dartmoor
	HMP Doncaster
	HMP Dorchester
	HMP Ashwell
	HMP Bristol
	HMP Haverrig
	HMP Highdown
	HMP Kennet
	HMP Kirkham
	HMP Lancaster Castle
	HMP Leicester
	HMP Lewes
	HMP Lincoln
	HMP Downview
	HMP Durham
	HMP Eastwood Park
	HMP Edmunds Hill
	HMP Elmley
	HMP Erlestoke
	HMP Featherstone
	HMP Foston Hall
	HMP Gloucester
	HMP Nottingham
	HMP Preston
	HMP Rochester
	HMP Shrewsbury
	HMP Standford Hill
	HMP Sudbury
	HMP Leyland
	HMP Wellingborough
	HMP Lindholme
	HMP Low Newton
	HMP Liverpool
	HMP Lowdham Grange
	HMP Maidstone
	HMP Manchester
	HMP Moorland
	HMP New Hall
	HMP Norwich
	HMP Pentonville
	HMP Reading
	HMP Ryehill
	HMP Stafford
	HMP Stocken
	HMP Wandsworh
	HMP Wealstun
	The total value of the contract is £4 million. Biometric-based computer Methadone Dispensing Systems are currently planned for installation in 70 prisons.

Public Expenditure

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of his Department's capital underspend in 2009-10; and how much of that sum he proposes to return to the Exchequer.

Phil Hope: Details of the Department's capital expenditure forecasts for 2008-09 to 2010-11 were published in the 2009 Departmental Report (page 218), copies of which are available in the Library.
	The Department's 2008-09 capital expenditure forecast outturn will be set out in HM Treasury's "Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper" to be published during week commencing 13 July 2009.

Social Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2009,  Official Report, column 251W, on social care: research, if he will place in the Library a copy of the findings of the research by the Personal Social Services Research Unit.

Phil Hope: The personal social services research unit (PSSRU) report, "Analysing the costs and benefits of social care funding arrangements in England: technical report, Forder, J. and Fernandez, J-L, PSSRU Discussion Paper 2644, 2009" has been published today (6 July 2009).
	The report is available from the following website:
	www.pssru.ac.uk/pdf/dp2644.pdf
	and a copy has been placed in the Library.
	Additional research by the PSSRU will be published in due course.

Elevate East Lancashire: Finance

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget of the Elevate East Lancashire housing renewal pathfinder will be for each of the next five years; and how much of the budget will be spent in Burnley.

Ian Austin: The ministerial statement of 28 February 2008 set out indicative allocations for HMR pathfinders over the CSR period; these are currently being reviewed. It is too early to comment on future levels of funding for the HMR programme as this will form part of the next Spending Review discussions. Financial information regarding HMR funding is not collected centrally for local authority areas.

Housing: Energy

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people had obtained a diploma in  (a) domestic energy assessment and  (b) home inspection in (i) England, (ii) Essex and (iii) Castle Point on the latest date for which figures are available.

John Healey: Training courses to gain diplomas to become either Domestic Energy Assessors and Home Inspectors are provided by independent, commercial training providers, and so the Government does not collect centrally statistics about the numbers of people undertaking such training and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households have received assistance under the  (a) Mortgage Rescue Scheme,  (b) Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme and (c) HomeBuy Direct Scheme in Kettering since the inception of each scheme.

John Healey: The Mortgage Rescue Scheme has been operational across England since January 2009. As part of the monitoring arrangements for the scheme headline data for January-May 2009, provided by local authorities and broken down by Government Office Region, are available on the Department's website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/mortgagerescuestatistics
	Figures reported by local authorities from January-May 2009 are provided in a table, which has been placed in the Library.
	Official figures on the number of households entering the Homeowner Mortgage Support scheme will be published later this year.
	As of end June 2009 there have been no sales under Home Buy Direct in Kettering.

Property Development: Floods

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable has been set for completion of the research commissioned by his Department into the effects of paving on back gardens on levels of flood risk; how much that research has cost; and which organisation has been commissioned to undertake that research.

Ian Austin: The contract for this research was awarded to CIRIA at a cost of £49,964 excluding VAT. The research is nearing completion and the final report will be published shortly, alongside a package of proposals taking forward a number of recommendations from the Killian Pretty review of the planning process.

Social Rented Housing: Freedom of Information

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received on the application of freedom of information legislation to information held by registered social landlords; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: Communities and Local Government have received one representation on the application of the freedom of information legislation to registered social landlords.
	The Freedom of Information Act 2000 only applies to those public authorities listed in the Act. Local authorities are listed, but registered social landlords are not, and are therefore not subject to the Act.

National Safeguarding Delivery Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  whether the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit has become operational;
	(2)  what appointments have been made to the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit to date.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Safeguarding Delivery Unit became operational on 1 July 2009. The Unit will be publishing a detailed work programme in September 2009.
	16 staff are already in post including staff from the Department of Children Schools and Families, Ministry of Justice, Department of Health and the Home Office. In addition, existing staff in Government Offices working on safeguarding issues form part of the Unit. Further recruitment is planned, including secondments into the Unit from regional and local partners and the voluntary sector. A Head of Unit, responsible for the day-to-day running of the Unit will be recruited through open competition; this post will be advertised shortly.

Outdoor Education: Safety

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 706W, on outdoor education: safety, for what reason his Department's revised guidance on health and safety of pupils on educational visits was not published in the first quarter of 2009; and when he plans to publish the revised guidance.

Diana Johnson: The Out and About website for Learning Outside the Classroom, which went live in autumn 2008, includes brief guidelines on the safety of learners on activities outside the classroom.
	A more detailed toolkit for local authorities, including model forms, will supplement this later this year, completing the Department's revision of the operational aspects of the guidance we published in 1998 and 2002.
	We will consult shortly on a high level document, provisionally entitled "Health and Safety of Learners Outside the Classroom", which will underpin the material on the Learning Outside the Classroom website at:
	http://www.lotc.org.uk/
	We had hoped to start consultation on this document earlier this year, but put this back to allow more time to ensure coherence between it and the toolkit.

Teachers: Pensions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent estimate he has made of the number of teachers at  (a) primary,  (b) secondary and  (c) special schools who are registered with the Teachers Pension Scheme on-line service.

Vernon Coaker: There are 100,296 members registered with the Teachers' Pension Scheme on-line service. Members do not provide information about their employment when they register and therefore the information split into sectors is not available.

Teaching Methods: Tyne and Wear

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make an assessment of the results of the spaced learning experiment on accelerated learning in Monkseaton School in Tyneside; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Department is aware of the 'spaced learning' teaching method used at Monkseaton School. There do not appear to have been a sufficiently robust or peer-reviewed evaluation of the approach which would allow any clear link between the teaching method and pupils' learning to be established.

Youth Citizenship Commission

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  whether  (a) he and  (b) officials in his Department made any representations to the Youth Citizenship Commission in respect of the drafting of its final report, Making the connection: building youth citizenship in the UK;
	(2)  whether his Department has any power to direct the work of the Youth Citizenship Commission.

Diana Johnson: The Youth Citizenship Commission was independent of Government. Secretariat support was provided by the Ministry of Justice. DCSF officials along with those from other Government Departments were asked to comment on the accuracy of statements. The Government will respond to the report's recommendations in due course.

Retail Trade

David Crausby: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department in taking to encourage small independent businesses located in urban high streets.

Patrick McFadden: The tougher economic conditions have made us more determined to help SMEs. We have met with business organisations and businesses across the country to discuss the problems they are facing and to ensure that their views are reflected in Government action. The Government's package of support—Real Help—focuses on those top priorities—cash flow, access to finance, higher bank charges and costs and training.
	In April the Department of Communities and Local Government and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport jointly published "Looking After Our Town Centres", which sets out the range of powers, guidance and approaches that can help local authorities and their partners promote the vitality and viability of town centres, and explains additional steps that the Government are taking to enable further positive action to be taken, particularly through the temporary use of empty shops. The guide can be downloaded from:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/towncentres
	Small independent shops (and other businesses) occupying a sole property with a rateable value below £15,000 may benefit from small business rate relief. For the businesses occupying the smallest properties, this can mean a saving of up to 50 per cent. of their business rates.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to answer Question  (a) 274337,  (b) 274338 and  (c) 274339, tabled on 6 May 2009, on General Motors Europe.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 1 July 2009
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 29 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 96-97W.

Fuel Poverty: North West

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to reduce levels of fuel poverty in  (a) the North West and  (b) Lancashire.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 5 June 2009
	Warm Front is the Government's main scheme for tackling fuel poverty and, since 2005, has spent approximately £230 million on a range of energy efficiency measures in the North West region, including insulation and full central heating systems. Data is not available on a county basis.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change is responsible for national programmes aimed at reducing fuel poverty. The combination of Warm Front, CERT and Decent Homes and local programmes delivered through local government, partnerships, energy suppliers, Eaga and NEA (such as Warm Zones and CEEF) are all important in tackling fuel poverty across regions of England.

Departmental Standards

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2009,  Official Report, column 894W, on Government departments: standards, whether his Department uses a formula to take performance against public service agreement targets into account in spending reviews.

Stephen Timms: No simple formulaic approach is applied during spending reviews. However, a Department's performance during the previous spending review period is always taken into account when settlements are made.

Government Departments: Finance

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2009,  Official Report, column 894W, on Government departments standards, from which Departments funding has been withheld as a result of not meeting public service agreement targets since July 1998.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary on 24 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 893-94W.

Private Finance Initiative: Standards

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's policy is on the use of international financial reporting standards in the accounting treatment of private finance initiative liabilities.

Ian Pearson: Central government financial reporting from 1 April 2009 is based on EU adopted International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), adapted or interpreted for the public sector context.
	The IFRS based accounting policy for Public Private Partnership arrangements, including for PFI contracts, is detailed in the Government Financial Reporting Manual (FReM).
	The FReM accounting for PFI is based on International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC) Interpretation 12 Service Concession Arrangements, as interpreted for the public sector.

Public Expenditure: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the 2009 Budget on pensioners resident in Coventry.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	In the 2009 Budget the Chancellor announced a number of measures that will benefit pensioners, including those in Coventry.
	In order to help those pensioners who receive income from savings and who may have been affected by lower interest rates, the Government will be increasing the threshold in pension credit (and housing and council tax benefit for those who have attained the qualifying age for pension credit) from £6,000 to £10,000 from November 2009, so that pensioners can have up to £10,000 without it affecting their benefits; launching a tax back awareness campaign in autumn 2009 to encourage all those in receipt of pension credit to ensure they are not paying tax on their savings that they do not have to and to claim back overpaid tax; and from 2009-10, the amounts that people aged 50 and over can save in an Individual Savings Account (ISA) will be increased to £10,200 of which £5,100 can be saved in cash form (effective from 6 October 2009).
	In addition there will be a repeat of this years additional winter fuel payment of £50 for households with someone aged 60-79 and £100 for those with someone aged 80 or over in winter 2009-10. This means the winter fuel payments will be £250 and £400 respectively for winter 2009-10 which provides a significant contribution towards an older person's winter fuel bill.
	The Government have also committed to maintain the standard interest rate applied in the support for mortgage interest scheme at 6.08percent for a further six months until the end of December 2009, this will help those on pension credit who receive help with their mortgage.
	The Government also reconfirmed their commitment to uprate the basic state pension by a minimum of 2.5 per cent. should the retail prices index fall below 2.5 per cent. in September 2009.
	A further change announced in the 2009 Budget is for grandparents who stop work to care for their grandchildren before they reach state pension age. They will be eligible to receive national insurance credits that will top up their basic state pension. This change is due to come into effect in 2011 and will make it easier for grandparents who take on significant caring responsibilities.

Welfare Tax Credit

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2009,  Official Report, column 413W, on the Lenders' Panel, on what dates the Lending Panel has met; and on what dates it is scheduled to meet.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: At the 2008 pre-Budget report, the Government announced the creation of a new Lending Panel, which meets regularly to monitor lending to businesses and households. The Lending Panel brings together lenders, trade bodies, consumer groups, and the Government, regulators and the Bank of England. The Lending Panel has met approximately monthly since its inception, and will continue to meet as appropriate.

Burges Salmon Solicitors

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on the Solicitors Regulation Authority's handling of the case of complaints against Burges Salman Solicitors; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on Burges Salman Solicitors' provision of mortgage and other financial advice; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Three Members of Parliament have written to me concerning the conduct of Burges Salmon LLP and the Solicitors Regulation Authority's (SRA) subsequent investigation into complaints received from members of the public. I have also received representations from a concerned member of the public. All the representations I have received are in relation to the provision of legal advice in mortgage and other financial matters.
	Complaints about professional misconduct of solicitors are matters for the SRA to investigate, as the legal profession is independent from the Government. As such, I cannot comment on individual cases. If consumers are unhappy with the way the SRA has conducted its investigation or the final decision reached, they should refer the matter to the Legal Services Ombudsman (LSO). The LSO protects the interests of the consumers of legal services by ensuring that the professional regulators conduct fair, thorough and efficient investigations of complaints about their members.

County Courts: Judgments

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons the civil procedure rules do not require a claimant applying for a county court judgment to produce evidence of admission of the defendant.

Bridget Prentice: The Civil Procedure Rules require a defendant who wishes to admit a claim to send their admission direct to the claimant to allow them to make an offer of payment, or pay the claim in full, without unnecessarily involving the court.
	A claimant may request a judgment based on an admission by filing a prescribed form. By signing the form, the claimant certifies that the defendant admits that all the money is owed.
	Rule 32.14 of the Civil Procedure Rules provides that proceedings for contempt of court may be brought against a person if he makes, or causes to be made, a false statement. Where a party does make a false statement, the courts, when such actions are brought to their attention, treat them very seriously and judges may make orders as they see fit. However, such instances are very rare.

Departmental Public Consultation

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of each tender document relating to his Department's consultation on  (a) the Rights and Responsibilities Green Paper and  (b) a British Statement of Values.

Michael Wills: Tender documents relating to the consultations on values, rights and responsibilities cannot be placed in the Library as this could prejudice commercial interests.

Land Registry

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many original deeds and documents have been destroyed by the Land Registry since 28 February 2009.

Michael Wills: In accordance with Rules 203 and 204 of the Land Registration Rules 2003 the Land Registry has destroyed approximately 5.5 million deeds and documents since 28 February 2009. The destruction of these documents results from a decision to store records electronically rather than physically. The Land Registry holds a large number of documents in electronic format. This has allowed the creation of a service for professional customers to view and download these documents online, and speeded up the services available to the general public.
	Register related documents are managed with the electronic register and are within the scope of the Land Registry's IT security measures, which are externally accredited. This includes a requirement that the Land Registry:
	Systematically examines its information security risks, taking account of the threats, vulnerabilities and impacts;
	Designs and implements a coherent and comprehensive suite of information security controls and/or other forms of risk treatment (such as risk avoidance or risk transfer) to address those risks that it deems unacceptable; and
	Adopts an overarching management process to ensure that the information security controls continue to meet its information security needs on a continuing basis.

Land Registry

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of original records which will be destroyed by the Land Registry in 2009-10.

Michael Wills: No estimate has been made of the number of original records that will be destroyed by the Land Registry in 2009-10. Figures are available for documents destroyed to date in 2009-10 and are as follows:
	April 2009: 349,375
	May 2009: 334,008
	June 2009: 401,739.
	The destruction of these documents results from a decision to store records electronically rather than physically. The Land Registry holds a large number of documents in electronic format. This has allowed the creation of a service for professional customers to view and download these documents online, and has speeded up the services available to the general public.
	Register related documents are managed with the electronic register and are within the scope of the Land Registry's IT security measures, which are externally accredited. This includes a requirement that the Land Registry:
	Systematically examines its information security risks, taking account of the threats, vulnerabilities and impacts;
	Designs and implements a coherent and comprehensive suite of information security controls and/or other forms of risk treatment (such as risk avoidance or risk transfer) to address those risks that it deems unacceptable; and
	Adopts an overarching management process to ensure that the information security controls continue to meet its information security needs on a continuing basis.

Land Registry

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many requests were received by the Land Registry between 13 October 2003 and 12 October 2008 for the return of original documents on which entry is or was founded.

Michael Wills: The Land Registry estimates that it received 6,285 applications for the return of documents between 13 October 2003 and 12 October 2008. As a result some 2,916 original documents were returned to applicants. The remainder of requests were either for documents that had already been returned, were not held by Land Registry or were not available for statutory reasons.

Legal Services Commission

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will instruct the Legal Services Commission to evaluate the effect of best value tendering on the ability of law firms to deliver legally-aided criminal defence services;
	(2)  whether his Department has made an estimate of the effect on expenditure on legal aid which would result from the implementation of the Best Value Tendering for Criminal Defence Service Contracts models in 2010;
	(3)  if he will instruct the Legal Services Commission to evaluate the effect of best value tendering on the quality of legally-aided criminal defence services;
	(4)  if he will instruct the Legal Services Commission to evaluate the effectiveness of its tender process for the Best Value Tendering exercise.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is currently analysing responses to its consultation on Best Value Tendering (BVT) which closed on 19 June. It will issue a response in the next few weeks. The consultation set out the LSC's intention to pilot BVT in Greater Manchester and Avon and Somerset and to evaluate the pilot tender exercise before making any decisions on wider rollout across England and Wales.
	The LSC's consultation stated that any evaluation of the pilot tender exercise would address areas such as the operation of the tender mechanism; the prices and level of supply obtained; changes in the shape of the market; the ability of firms to adjust structures, where necessary to deliver work under the new contract; and an equalities impact assessment of the tender outcome.
	Best value tendering has the potential to achieve savings in areas where there is strong competition by setting the local market price for services and allowing firms to realise efficiency savings. However, it is not possible to predict in advance the outcome of a competitive process and we recognise that prices may rise in some areas. Piloting the proposals will give us a much better understanding of the overall financial impact.
	A final Impact Assessment will be published alongside the LSC's response to the consultation, which will fully assess the impact of any decisions on implementing these proposals.

Ministers: Pensions

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the proposed Bill on constitutional renewal will include provisions relating to the  (a) Prime Minister's,  (b) Lord Chancellor's and  (c) Speaker's pension.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government remains committed to legislating in this area as soon as parliamentary time allows. The Government are currently considering the content of the Constitutional Renewal Bill and will make an announcement in due course.

National Offender Management Service: Finance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what expenditure the National Management Service incurred on prison-based offender behaviour programmes  (a) in total and  (b) per participant in 2008-09.

Maria Eagle: The funding for the delivery of prison-based offender behaviour programmes is part of establishment baselines, therefore it is not possible to accurately disaggregate the cost of this work.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) offers a range of programmes to meet different needs and risks of offending. The cost of delivery varies across programmes and by prison establishment, depending on factors such as the nature, length and intensity of the programmes, volume of delivery and the existing infrastructure.
	The estimated cost per individual completing programmes in prison is between £1,000 to £10,000. The small number of completions for the more intensive programmes for serious violent offenders cost more to deliver.
	NOMS is currently undertaking a specifications, benchmarking and costings exercise which will provide more accurate costings of the interventions delivered.

Prison Accommodation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2009,  Official Report, column 776W, on prisons, what the standard infrastructural, physical and security criteria are for prison buildings that are designated for use by category  (a) A,  (b) B and  (c) C prisoners.

Maria Eagle: Because of the wide variety of properties that make up the prison estate, there are no standard infrastructural or physical build specifications for the different security categories of prisons. Instead, there are physical and special security guides. For security reasons these are not publicly available documents. By applying these we can ensure that all prisons meet the required standard of physical security appropriate to the category of prisoner held.

Prison Accommodation

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 734-5WS, on prison accommodation, how many category  (a) C and  (b) D prisoners are held in prisons designated for use by category B prisoners; and what percentage of category (i) A and (ii) B prisoners are held in prisons designated for use by category A prisoners.

Maria Eagle: All prisoners are placed in the lowest security category consistent with the needs of security and control. Categorisation involves an assessment of the risk of escape or abscond and the potential risk of harm to the public. Prisoners may be held in a prison of a higher security category for operational reasons, although the numbers of such prisoners must be limited by agreement between senior managers.
	The information necessary to give a comprehensive answer to the questions about the numbers of category C and D prisoners who are detained in prisons designated for category B prisoners, and the percentage of category A and B prisoners held in category A prisons is not held centrally and obtaining it would involve disproportionate cost.

Probation Officers: Redundancy

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what reports he has received from local probation areas and trusts on levels of planned redundancies to 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: There has been a sustained increase in probation service funding since 1997. Total funding for probation rose by 70 per cent. in real terms between 1997 and 2007, and the number of staff employed by the probation service over the same period rose by 7,000, or almost 50 per cent. This includes an increase of 54 per cent. of frontline staff; probation officers, senior probation officers, and probation service officers.
	The chief operating officer of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) submitted staffing projections for 2009-10 and 2010-11 from all probation areas and trusts to Ministers in March this year. These were unverified estimates for internal management purposes only.
	Following these estimates, Ministers have made clear their commitment to ensuring that frontline redundancies are avoided wherever possible. Directors of Offender Management are ensuring that probation areas focus their savings on reducing management layers, streamlining support services and cutting bureaucracy, in order to minimise the impact of budget reductions on frontline staff.
	However, responsibility for staffing levels ultimately lies with each probation board or trust as they are the employers of probation staff. It is for them to take the action necessary at a local level to ensure they can deliver the required service within available resources.

Reoffenders: East of England

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the re-offending rate for offenders in  (a) Cambridgeshire probation area and  (b) Peterborough probation area was in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: The local reoffending figures are produced by aggregating the data of four snapshots of the probation case load at the end of each quarter. Therefore the number of offenders quoted in the table is approximately four times the number of offenders on the case load at any one time.
	The Cambridgeshire probation area has two local authorities (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough). The reoffending rate for both the probation area and the local authorities is shown as follows.
	
		
			  Local reoffending rates for Cambridgeshire: January-December 2008 
			   Number of offenders  Actual reoffending rate (percentage) 
			 Cambridgeshire probation area 9,389 11.01 
			
			 Cambridgeshire local authority 5,724 9.99 
			 Peterborough local authority 3,412 11.96 
		
	
	It is not always possible to assign a local authority to an offender so the totals for the local authorities do not sum to the number of reoffenders in the probation area.
	Local adult reoffending rates by probation area or local authority are not available for periods prior to 1 October 2007-30 September 2008.
	Further details on local adult reoffending is available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/local-adult-reoffending-2008-ii-pdf

Youth Custody

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile offenders arrived at their place of detention for the first time after 10.00 pm on the day of admission in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Information on those juveniles who arrived after 10 pm in each establishment over the last five years is not available. To provide this information would involve a manual check of each individual Prison Escort Record at a disproportionate cost.